Contact
by The Lone Deranger
Summary: The human brain is capable of millions of connections, each one is a memory, an event...
1. Part I: Communication

**Contact**

**A/N: What up peeps. I'm just making you waste time reading the author note. You may now read the story...**

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><p><strong>Part One: Communication<strong>

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><p><strong>Date Interviewed: June 7, 3011<strong>

**Subject: Fry, Phillip J.**

**Age: 36 (See Notes)**

**Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New New York**

**Occupation: Delivery Boy**

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><p><strong>Notes<strong>

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><p>The subject in question was born in the year 1974, and was subsequently cryogenically frozen on New Years Eve 1999, and thawed out on New Years Eve 2999. Since then, the subject has been employed at the Planet Express delivery company, and has gone through numerous "adventures" as he calls them, which for the most part, are questionable at best, and seem more along the lines of imaginative stories. One of the examples that he gave to us was when he used a time machine which only was able to go forward in time. This resulted in him (along with two others, one of which is being used as a subject as well) reaching the end of time, which resulted in the universe resetting itself with another big bang. According to the subject, he had to go through this twice due to circumstances outside of his control, which could technically make him trillions upon trillions upon trillions of years old. Further background checks will be needed, but from what we can gather, the subject also appears to have a deep affection for one of the female subjects. We learned this when we found a crudely drawn picture of the two at what he called "their dream house". We'll try and dig deeper into this when we talk to him later.<p>

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><p><strong>The Interview<strong>

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><p><strong>Question One: <strong>_**Was communication different back in the 20th century than now in the 31st?**_

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><p>"Uhh, back in the 90's, we normally talked to others on the telephone or just talked to them in person. The internet was just starting to get popular, but I never picked up on the whole email thing until I got here. I just went on it to see that dancing baby. Oh man, that baby was a trooper, he just never stopped dancing! I'd spend hours watching it just to see if he'd stop or change his routine, but it never happened. Then my girlfriend would yell at me for wasting five hours when I was supposed to be doing some dumb crap like doing the laundry or something. But nowadays, we have the EyePhone thing that lets us video chat with someone from the safety of pretty much anywhere. But, with all these new things that come out year after year, we end up forgetting how people like me used to communicate. It's like we've lost the ability to get up, go outside, and actually talk to someone...not that I really care, I mean now I can watch that dancing baby anywhere! By the way, who's talking to me?"<p>

(It should be noted that we ended up clearing up the question he asked. He did not remark about the irony of the situation afterward)

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><p><strong>Question Two: <strong>_**How does it feel knowing that everyone you knew back in 1999, including your family, are gone? Do you ever miss them?**_

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><p>"Back in 99', I was living in a crappy flat with my girlfriend who just happened to dump me on New Years Eve, and a dead end job at Panucci's which got me nowhere. When I got here, I didn't care about my family. I thought, if they cared about me enough, they would have tried to track me down when I was frozen. Then I ran away from my planned job as a delivery boy, and realized that I wouldn't fit into this world, and there was no one who could help me. I can honestly say that the worst feeling you can ever have is when you are alone. It's like in that old movie with the people in that cube thing with the deathtraps and stuff, and they all died...or something..."<p>

(We asked the subject to how this pertained to being alone.)

"Oh, uh...well I'm not really sure, I guess my mind drifted off, people say I do that alot. But, people need other people to talk to. I mean, not always, you can go a few hours or even a day without speaking to anyone, but try a week, or a month, or even a year! I'd go insane if I even tried to do that. I love talking to people, even if all I hear out of them is "blah blah blah Nibbler, blah blah blah starving, blah blah blah peed out of the box.". When that realization came to me, everything changed. I wanted to see Mom and Dad; I wanted to see Seymour and Yancy, I didn't care who, just as long as it was someone I knew. I'm glad that I found friends soon after, cause I probably would have died out there in New New York without them. No literally, I nearly killed myself in a suicide booth if not for one of them. But yeah, I miss them...every day...

(The subject asked for a minute to regain composure before we continued.)

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><p><strong>Question Three: <strong>_**How do you feel about your co-workers? How do they effect your life?**_

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><p>"Well, Bender was the first friend I ever made when I arrived here. He helped set me up with a home and has even gotten me out of a few jams before. I mean, I know he's a robot, but I like to think that the feelings he's programmed with are voluntary and not just because he's forced to. We've been best buds since day one...of my new life...could you cut that last part out?"<p>

(The subject continued to name off and describe some the other co-workers, however, this question was specifically asked in order to find out more about this other subject he fancies. For the sake of time, this part of the interview will be omitted)

"-and even though he smells bad, he's our doctor, so I guess I have to deal with him. And then, there's Leela..."

(The subject went silent for a few moments. He appeared a bit nervous. We asked him if there was something wrong, but he insisted he was just trying to figure out what he wanted to say. After about a minute, he continued.)

"Leela was one of the first people I met when I got here. We kind of got off on the wrong foot, but it changed when we ended up finding a common bond-well at least at the time we thought so, it was that we were alone in the world. I had no family or friends left, and she was the only Cyclops of her kind. Since then, we've learned that we are in fact, not quite as alone as we previously thought, and we've been pretty close friends, but I've wanted more than friendship for a long time, and she knows it. No matter what I do to try and woo her, I just can't seem to get it done. I've tried poems, flowers, hell I even wrote an opera for her once, but every time I get close to her, I somehow find a way to mess it all up. Maybe it's all my fault...but that doesn't mean I'm giving up any time soon. I love her too much to. One of these days, we'll be together...I just know it..."

(We asked the subject to further elaborate on why he thinks he would end up with Leela.)

"You know all those action movies where the guy always ends up getting the girl at the end? That's why...except this isn't a movie...and I'm not buff...and I have this fear of things that hurt me, and-"

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><p><strong>Question Four: <strong>_**Do you believe that it is important to have a vivid imagination?**_

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><p>"That's an easy one, of course it is! It's the one place I can be whatever I want, doing whatever I want, whenever I want. I could be a rock star and be all "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK LA!", and I'd break into an epic jam... like "2112", or I could be a god who smites those policemen for giving me a ticket for public urination! On one of his...better days, the professor once told me, "Anything is possible, as long as you can imagine it." and I've kind of taken that to heart since then. I've always got so much going on in my mind, but I never seem to be able to put it in detail before I move onto something else. If I had to sum it up in a short little blurb, it'd probably be something like...Let me see where this takes me."<p>

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><p><em><strong>Question Five: <strong>__**What does the word "Love" mean to you?**_

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><p>"It's not really a feeling, like some other people would probably say, but more like a...way of life...I found it many years ago, I just hope it can find me back soon."<p>

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><p><em><strong>Conclusion<strong>_

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><p>While the subject can be quite immature for his age, he does show moments of sheer brilliance. He appears to have a strong yearning for companionship, and despite his shortcomings, he remains dedicated in his pursuits. Further evaluation will be needed to identify the validity of his "adventures", however, they remain questionable at best.<p>

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><p><em><strong>The Missing Piece<strong>_

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><p><strong>January 1, 3000<strong>

_"Oh, can't you leave me alone? I'm miserable enough already."_

_"Look, I know it's not much consolation but I understand how you feel."_

_"No, you don't! I've got no home, no family_..._my whole world is gone. You can't possibly understand what it feels like to be so alone."_

_"I understand...I'm the only one-eyed alien on this whole planet. My parents abandoned me here as a baby, and I don't even know what galaxy they were from...I know how it feels to be alone..."_

As hard as he tried, Fry was unable to fall asleep on the conference table in the Planet Express building. Perhaps it was the presence of the gigantic spaceship looming over him, or the shock of actually flying in it earlier in an attempt to evade the police, but no matter the reason, there he laid, alone to his own devices, and all he could think of was that lone conversation that he had in the ruins of his New York with the purple haired cyclops-woman, Leela. Somehow, he still felt empty, he couldn't seem to understand why. He had found family and friends, and a temporary home, yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was still something else missing.

Fry sighed and turned on his side, opening his eyes briefly to see the time on the clock that now stared straight at him. **3:47AM, **by now he knew that he wasn't getting any sleep and decided to abandon his feeble attempts. He got up and sat on the edge of the table, cracking his back as he did so, and hopped off. Fry had partially familiarized himself with the building when he first arrived, so he at least knew where all the main facilities were, he decided to head upstairs to the employee lounge and watch some television, in an attempt to get his mind off of the current situation. On the screen was a bag with the words _**GLAGNAR'S HUMAN RINDS (Now With More Fat!)**_ on it.

"Psh, at least some things haven't changed..." Fry thought aloud as he sat down on the couch, taking a moment to let himself sink in, laying on the table had really done a number on his body, so while the couch itself wasn't necessarily comfortable, it was miles ahead of his previous digs.

"And now, back to paid programming, brought to you by...Glagnar's Human Rinds. It's a buncha muncha cruncha humans!" The voice over said, before immediately cutting away to a well dressed man behind a table filled with assorted products.

**"BUY MY PRODUCT! BUY IT!" **The man said at a deafening volume, making Fry jump from his seat and causing the entire room to vibrate. The man began to shove products towards the camera, not really taking any time to let the viewer see what they were. **"IT'S THE FINEST PRODUCT YOU'LL EVER FIND! JUST TAKE IT AND GIVE ME YOUR MON-" **Fry turned the television off in a panic, hoping he hadn't awoken the professor. He sat on the floor, ears perked to hear for any movement or voices. As the silence and the beating of his heart grew louder, the empty feeling inside of him did as well.

_"You can't possibly understand what it feels like to be so alone."_

The words kept echoing in his mind, it was almost as if they were taunting him. As the seconds continued to pass by, he felt the need to call out, in a vain hope that someone would respond. All he needed was a voice, any voice, as long as he knew that he wasn't alone. Seconds changed to minutes, while he knew by now that nobody in the building was disturbed, he was too rattled to move, paralyzed in fear.

"...help..."

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><p>Thinking wasn't normally something Fry did on a day-to-day basis, however in those four and a half hours that he sat on the floor, he did a lot of it. At first the thoughts were scattered, one minute, he'd have one thought, and the next, another one would come. They kept coming at him from every direction, smothering him. Eventually, time slowed his mind down, allowing him to concentrate on a handful of thoughts. Something told him these thoughts were all connected in a way, he just couldn't quite put a finger on how.<p>

And so, morning had arrived, the light from the slowly rising sun bothered him. He squinted his eyes until they were practically closed, refusing to let any of the light in, but something caught his ears, and his eyes opened back up. They were loud footsteps coming from something heavy...boots...

"Leela?" Fry turned around and indeed found the cyclops-woman he had spoken to the day before, already in her work attire, consisting of long black boots, pants, a white tank top, and a weird thing on her wrist to complete the uniform. For a moment, Fry wondered whether or not she even changed since they last met. He felt slightly vulnerable at the moment, being curled up in a ball on the floor, so he unclasped his hands and freed his legs, allowing them to move freely.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"I wasn't sure when I was supposed to come in for work, the professor never gave us a time, so I thought I'd just show up early," Leela replied, "What about you?"

"Well I kind of live here for now."

"Yeah, but I came in here and you looked a little tense," she said, inspecting his crusted eyes, "Rough night?" Fry nodded his head in approval. "Do you want to talk about it?"

It's exactly what he wanted to do. Fry nodded approvingly, Leela offered her hand to him, and pulled him up, straining his muscles as he did so. Leela led the way down to the conference area, overlooking the massive Planet Express ship. As they did so, his loneliness began to fade, and was replaced with a warm, content feeling of ease.

"Before you start, I'd appreciate it if you put on some pants..." Leela said, motioning towards a chair at the conference table overlooking the hangar, a pair of wrinkled jeans and a bright red jacket hung on them. Fry chuckled nervously, and grabbed the pants, swiftly putting them on.

"You know, it is New Years, shouldn't we have today off?" Fry questioned as he sat down and put on his jacket.

"Ugh, tell it to the other planets who don't have a new year for another couple thousand." Leela uttered back.

"Really? What about other holidays?"

"We've only got two days off, Easter by order of the Space Pope, and Xmas...and maybe weekends. I really like how the professor gave us no information on scheduling."

"Yeah, well he is old. Maybe he forgot." Leela failed to respond back, there was an awkward moment of silence that followed. As the two waited for the other to say something, Fry took a moment to eye the kitchen that was connected to the conference room. He had an urge to get a drink, but at the same time, he was unsure if he should just take food that wasn't his. Then again, he lived here now, and he was in the company of family, so he thought it wouldn't hurt to get a piece of toast or the futuristic equivalent.

"So, you said you wanted to talk about last night?"

"Yeah, sure."

"So what happened?"

Fry gave her a quick rundown of what preceded their return to the building. As he explained, he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't even there. Words were coming out of his mouth, but he didn't hear them, his mind was wandering off, back to the thoughts he kept trying to connect.

"For someone who pulled an all-nighter, I have to say that you seem to be quite alert to your surroundings."

"That's what you get with ten years worth of night-long videogame marathons." Fry chuckled. "But yeah, I had a lot of time to think about some things last night; my new life, you and Bender, and uh, my family."

Leela seemed to understand where this was going. With her previous history of working at the Cryo-Lab, she knew that most of the subjects that were frozen would suffer from some form of wistfulness. However, Fry was a special case. Unlike all the other subjects, he didn't do this voluntarily. Subjects had given themselves time to say goodbye to their loved ones, but Fry had, without warning, left behind family and friends who's efforts to find him were fruitless. He would obviously end up taking this a lot harder than others.

"I thought about them the most. At first, it was about how much I missed them, but the longer I thought about it, I couldn't stop thinking that they never even tried to find me..." He continued, bowing his head down. He didn't want to believe in such a thing, but as the words came out, they only felt more real.

Leela gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Fry. You know that's not true. I don't know how you and your family got along, but I know that no matter what you've done, or said to your family, they'll always care about you; they'll always love you. I'm sure they tried to find you."

"Like your family," He uttered coldly, "They loved you so much that they left you the moment you were born !"

That hand she had put on his shoulder suddenly began to dig into him, while her free hand started to ball up into a fist, but after a moment, she decided to hold her rage back, and relaxed it. Had it been any other person saying that to her, Leela would have sent her boot straight down Fry's throat. But it had to be him, and it only made it hurt more. Not because the remark was just hurtful, but it was the truth. Twenty five years, and she still didn't know what had happened to her parents. But she did have something that could potentially tell her. She unclasped the thing on her wrist and took out a folded slip of paper, placing it on the table.

"What's this?" He asked as he took the paper and unfolded it. Written on it was a series of symbols he was unfamiliar with . Some had dots and slashes; some were similar to the alphabet he was used to, but he couldn't tell if they stood for the same things.

"It's a note that was left with me when I was abandoned at the Orphanage. I've never been able to find someone who could translate it. This little slip of paper holds the answer to my family's fate. If they didn't care about me, they wouldn't have left this for me." She replied bitterly, a single tear dropping from her eye. "A bit of optimism wouldn't hurt you..." She got up and walked down the steps towards the hangar, never looking back.

"Leela, wait!" He said, arm outstretched, but it was no use. A wave of guilt swept over Fry. He spoke before he thought, and in turn, it ended up hurting one of the few people he knew in this new world. He was about to go over and apologize, but he was stopped by another figure entering the room. A bald-old man wearing thick coke-bottle glasses and some pajamas. For a moment, Professor Farnsworth just stood in the room, staring directly at him, but then he went to the kitchen that was connected to the conference room, as if he wasn't even there.

"Uhh, Professor?" He uttered. Farnsworth seemed surprised to hear someone, and quickly turned around.

"Who the hell are you?"

Fry was dumbfounded. "What? I-I'm Phillip!" The professor continued to give him a blank expression. "You know...the guy you hired yesterday..." Fry still saw no signs of approval. "I'm your great Uncle many times over..."

"I'm sure I would have remembered such a thing...now get out of here you hooligan! My new employees will be here any minute! I don't need some slacker low-life trying to mooch off of this company!"

"Ugh, whatever you say gramps."

He walked down the stairs into the hangar, the sense of scale was lost in Fry as he approached the ship. Leela was on the other side, sitting against the rear landing gear, staring blankly at the wall, in deep thought. Fry knelt down and dropped the paper she gave him in her lap.

"Leela, I'm really sor-"

"Stop..." She uttered. "I forgive you." She took the paper and put it back underneath the device on her wrist. "Remember, I know how you feel..."

Fry was relieved to hear the words. "Thanks, Leela. You caught me at a bad time. I'm just trying to make sense of it all still, and negativity got the worst of me last night. I know my family tried to find me, and I know they loved me. I-" He paused again, this time he didn't seem to want to come out of his stupor.

"Fry?" Leela stood up, watching Fry, still knelt down on the cold floor.

_"I know they loved me..."_

He had figured it out; he had figured out what the missing piece to the puzzle was. Unfortunately, it was something you couldn't just ask for. For many, it was an excuse, or an over exaggeration; but for others, it was a feeling so powerful, that it transcended life itself. However, for Phillip J. Fry, it was something he had for people long gone, and could never return the feeling, _Love. _All he needed was a little push from a Cyclops to realize it.

"Are you okay?"

He looked up at Leela, and gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine now."

"Look, if you need someone to talk to, I'll be there, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks, Leela." With the risk of being a bit too forward, Fry gave Leela a friendly embrace, it wasn't the love he was missing, but it was connection, understanding, and for now, that was good enough for him.

"What tell you! Get the hell out of my building!"

"Oh yeah, by the way, Leela, we've got a little problem with the professor..."


	2. Part II: Memories

**A/N: This is an authors note...fine I'll give you something! Well first I got up and had a piece of toast. Then I brushed my teeth. Then I went to the store to buy some fish. Then I wrote this story for the ten people, like yourself, who are reading this. Fangz btw, oh, and HAPPY BELATED XMAS!**

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><p><strong>Part II: Memories<br>**

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><p><strong>Date Interviewed: June 13, 3011<strong>

**Subject: Model Bending Unit 22 #2716057 (Alias: Bender Bending Rodriguez)**

**Manufacturing Date: May 5, 2992**

**Place of Manufacturing: Tijuana, Mexico**

**Occupation: Bending Unit/Company Cook**

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><p><strong>Notes<strong>

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><p>The next subject is a Bending Unit made by Mom's Friendly Robot Company, however, upon a quick inspection of the robot, we found he did not have a backup unit, meaning once destroyed, we would be unable to move his personality into an open robot. Normally, a defective robot would be destroyed on the assembly lines final stop, a full-scale inspection. However, we found that the unit was saved from the incinerator by a certain Hermes Conrad, who would coincidentally end up working with him at the Planet Express Delivery Company years later. For the most part, the subjects attitude seems to be rather snobbish and grating, constantly making immature remarks, stroking his ego, and making threatening remarks at the slightest provocation. He actually threatened to shiv us one time when we told him we would take his cigars away after some of our associates complained of the smoke. Despite his setbacks, I have a good feeling that we'll be able to delve deeper into his mainframe when we talk to him later.<p>

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><p><strong>The Interview<strong>

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><p><strong>Question One: <strong>_**How do you feel working around humans? Do you harbor any resentment?**_

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><p>"Oh I see, this is one of those experiments you humans do where you try and see what makes us tick, eh? Well I hate to break it to you, but I ain't saying crap! You humans disgust me, what do you meatbags do, anyway? Sit around and do nothing, criticize my food, and program innocent robots like me to do your dirty work! Look at you guys, no seriously, cause I sure as hell can't look at you cowards, hiding behind some microphone, holding me hostage! I swear, when I get out of here, I'm making sure the Robot Devil deals with you guys! I don't care if I have to lose my shiny metal ass for it this time either, It'll be worth it!"<p>

(We went on to explain that we have three other human subjects with us, and they were all his co-workers.)

"So you took Fry, huh? Yeah, and the Space Pope craps in the woods! Nice try, but I can see right through your little ploy!"

(After refusing to cooperate any further, we sent the subject back to the holding area. We allowed him to speak with the previously mentioned subject. While still somewhat defiant, the subject agreed to continue with the interview.)

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><p><strong>Question Two: <strong>_**Humans long for communication to the point where it is practically a need. How do you feel about this as a robot?**_

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><p>"I think it's pretty dumb, what kind of need is that? I don't need to talk to anyone, what have others ever done to me? I'll tell you what, they let a defective robot live! And you know who it was? Me! What kind of person would allow that! If they didn't try and fix me, then why should I give them the satisfaction of talking to them!"<p>

(We questioned why he would be mad at such a thing.)

"Cause I'm Bender, dammit! I'm supposed to be perfect in every way, shape, and form! But this Inspector Number Five has to screw that all up! I swear if I ever find him, I'll-"

(We noted that the subject was still defiant, and did not know that it was in fact Hermes Conrad who spared him, and also made note not to mention it to him...at least not yet...For the sake of time, we decided to move onto the next question.)

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><p><strong>Question Three: <strong>_**As you mentioned, you were built without a backup unit. This should have led to your destruction, but you were saved from that fate. How do you feel knowing you will eventually "die" like human beings? Do you feel more human because of it?**_

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><p>"Oh, it feels great knowing I'll damned to Robot Hell for all eternity. I would have rather been destroyed than have to sit around until I die like you flesh piles."<p>

(We notified him that he had failed to answer the last part of the question, and repeated it to him. While we couldn't exactly pinpoint what he was doing, the best word that would describe his reaction to the question would be "flabbergasted".)

"...You know what...I never really thought of that before. I mean, I can walk, talk, and we have guts on the inside like humans. But normally, when we stop functioning, we'd just get our personality downloaded into another. We technically die, but we're just put into something else. I think you guys call it...reincarnation...or something...but I can't...I guess that's what mainly separates us from people like you...not me though...I'm just like you..."

(We took note of the subjects sudden change in demeanor.)

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><p><strong>Question Four: <strong>_**Do you think that your defect was predetermined by something greater?**_

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><p>"…"<p>

(The subject still appeared to be troubled by the previous question. We allowed him a half an hour before we let him back in. During that time, we took a moment to ask our previous subject about how this one reacts to things emotionally, he says thought his sudden mood swings are "kind of Bender's thing" and "completely normal".)

"...Maybe it was done to teach me that in the end, we're all human in some way. Everyone makes mistakes, even me, Bender. The bots on the manufacturing line made a mistake when creating me, Inspector Five made a mistake when approving me, and I can guarantee with a 100.3% accuracy and a .3% margin of error that you have as well. But at the same time, that mistake can lead to great things. Like when Fry came here, and saved my life, thinking the suicide booth was some weird box that you could talk to people on. But in the end, those don't really matter. Maybe we could have righted the wrongs, but then would I have met Fry? Would I have joined the crew? Would I have been an unlovable raging alcoholic who actually did his job? Okay, that last one is stretching it, but you get the point."

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><p><strong>Question Five: <strong>_**What does the word "Love" mean to you?**_

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><p>"That one is easy, it's that word you use when you want to get into someone's pants, hehehehe!"<p>

(We asked the subject to be serious. the subject sat idle for a moment, apparently searching his mainframe)

**[DEFINITION NOT FOUND]**

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><p><strong>Conclusion<strong>

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><p>As expected, the subject was extremely stubborn early on, however, as we progressed, we were amazed to find that the subject appeared to be showing genuine emotion. While we still wish that he was able to give us some better responses, this was an amazing breakthrough nonetheless. One thing that disturbed us however, was the lack of a definition for "Love". Our inspection of him before the interview found the same for other emotions like "Happiness", "Anger", "Sadness", etc… Does this mean that these emotions weren't in fact genuine? Afterwards, the subject approached us and thanked us for interviewing him. We spoke further, however, what we spoke of is currently classified...<p>

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><p><strong>Stop The Clocks<strong>

**October 30, 3093**

For Bender, going to another funeral was becoming somewhat of a habit. Unfortunately, that habit would soon come to an end, as there was only one more funeral he planned to ever attend. All that was left was Fry, one hundred and nineteen years young. While his once bright orange hair had fallen out and wrinkles had enveloped his once smooth skin, he maintained the health and spirit of youth. However, on this particular day, he looked and felt his age, for he had lost perhaps the one person that allowed him to keep that youthful spirit all those years.

When Leela had stated that she wanted a very intimate funeral, she meant it. Save the priest, only Fry and Bender were in attendance, situated in the front row. Normally, Bender would sit a few rows back and observe the other attendees. Today, he decided not to, mainly because of the lack of people involved. Located at the front was the closed coffin (once again, at her request) containing Leela, a victim of a faulty teleportation device. Although the top third of her body was never fully recovered, Fry was thankful there was still something he could bring back to bury.

As the priest yammered on, Bender could only hear the blubbering of Fry, who looked as though he aged fifty extra years overnight. He'd never seen him look this miserable since they first met, yet even now, he still didn't understand why. No matter how many times he observed others at the funerals, including his own fake funeral, he could never grasp the concept. The question of why people would hold each other, cry at, or even have such events was an unanswered question. To him, they were annoying sob-fests that had some finger food afterward, and if he was lucky, he'd be able to drink himself to life.

_Ugh..._

As the ceremony continued, so did Bender's lack of focus on whatever was being said, he remained fixated on Fry as he continued his tearful howling, his grief only seemed to be getting worse by the minute; his cries growing louder. There was something about this particular moment that disturbed Bender, but despite it, the robot could not turn away. He felt the need to do or say something, but his mainframe drew a blank on how to react. Finally, he broke free of the gaze, and shut off the amplifiers in his head. And so he sat there, his head bowed. As the chorus of a man's sorrow rang through the hall, Bender could only hear silence, but Fry's image remained.

* * *

><p>They were home again, a sanctuary that had housed them for nearly a century. As Fry opened the door to Robot Arms and went over to the Email Box, Bender remained in a daze, focused on what he had seen at the ceremony. By now, Fry's tears had dried, but his sadness remained etched across his face in the form of the now highlighted wrinkles.<p>

"Are you alright?" It was the first thing Bender had said to him all day. Fry didn't immediately respond, as he flicked the screen to see if there were any more messages expressing sympathy. As it turned out, there was one amidst the spam, sent by the current president of Planet Express. The current CEO's had a thing for keeping in touch with all past and present members of the company, even if they were fired. Unfortunately, the empathy was lost in the message that was clearly pre-written and had been sent to him before whenever his fellow surviving crew members had died. Reading the faceless message only made him feel worse, so he quickly disposed of it."No, I'm not alright," He said, exiting the email client. "but thanks for asking."

"Oh, well...that sucks...Uh, is there anything I can...do?"

Fry bowed his head in disappointment, letting out a groan. "Yeah, learn to feel..."

"Well I'm sorry that I can't feel your stuffy human emotions and shed your wet human tears. Why don't you just whip a few more up and smear them on me?" Bender noticed that Fry's dentures had clenched and he was shaking more than he usually did.

"You just don't get it do you?" He growled.

"What's there to get?"

With all his might, Fry gently swiped his hand across Bender's metallic cheek with all his might, the robot registered the slap, causing a light sting on the side of his face.

"You felt that!" Fry said with a finger pointed at his robot friend.

"Why the hell did you smack me!" Bender shouted back, putting his fists up in preparation to strike.

"See, that's anger! You get angry, you get sad, and you laugh joyously at everyone's misfortunes, but not today, not at Leela's funeral, not at Amy's, not even at Zoidberg's! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I was programmed that way!"

"No, you weren't! No matter what they put into you, there are some things that you can't program!"

"How the hell do you know that?"

"...I tried to help you figure it out... but if you don't know by now, you'll end up finding it out when it's too late."

"What's that supposed to mean? You keep telling me that, stop speaking in your human riddles and spit it out!" Fry didn't answer back, he turned and began to make his way back up to the apartment. "...Whatever."

* * *

><p><strong>November 10, 3093<strong>

"Fry, it's almost noon!"

They were the first words Bender had said to him since their argument, unfortunately, he wasn't saying it to his face, instead it was to the door to his room that separated the two. He still didn't understand what Fry meant about knowing about his so-called "un-programmable feelings", but he didn't seem to care at the moment, something wasn't right. Fry had remained reclusive since they last spoke, he would have at least gotten up to get his light breakfast consisting of Archduke Chocula and some sliced pineapple by now. While Bender had found it a bit odd, he just thought it was some phase that would pass.

He knocked on the door again, once again no answer, so he tried to open the door.. "Great, locked. Looks like I'm gonna have to bring out the pick." One of the robots metallic fingers popped open, revealing a pick-like device. Without any hesitation, Bender began to stab at the door repeatedly, until the door itself was broken off its frame, sending it flying across the room before crashing through the window, stopping just short of the new ledge that had been created, leaving it hanging precariously hundreds of feet in the air. Bender realized how long it had been since he step foot in Fry's room when he saw how clean the place reminded him of how much nicer the apartment got after Leela moved in after Fry pestered her when she couldn't afford her old apartment.

_"Leela, please. Our place is cheaper, and in the fifteen...or whatever years I've lived there, our neighbors have yet to have any real criminal background!"_

"_But what about Ben-"_

"_You know what I mean!"_

_"…Fine, but lets make it clear, if anyone asks, you're relying on me. I don't want to look like the charity case here."_

The only part of the room that wasn't entirely cleared up was the bed in which Fry was laid across. The sheets were lightly ruffled and had contoured to his slightly below average build. It appeared as though he hadn't even been disturbed by the forced entry that had just occurred.

"Heavy sleeper, eh?" Bender thought aloud. "Time to take matters into my own hands." He eyed the alarm clock on the end table, and set the alarm for the next minute. Aiming it at Fry's ear, the alarm sounded with a deafening ring. **"WAKE UP! IT'S...ELEVEN...FORTY...EIGHT...A.M..." **Fry didn't even flinch, suddenly Bender was coming to a very grim conclusion. A quick scan confirmed this, there were no signs of life in the apartment, just himself and the corpse of Fry, staring at him with a look eerily similar to the one he had on at Leela's funeral.

"I...I-"

The feelings he experienced from the funeral were coming back, only magnified ten fold. He clenched his cylindrical "chest" cavity as a painful sensation ran through it, as though wires were being ripped out, and machinery was being crushed. The robot could not explain the source of this odd pain.

_"You felt that!" _

Bender panicked, fearing he was about to suffer a terminal error. The robot searched his memory banks for an answer. Suddenly, the pain stopped as one of the memory banks unlocked, titled **OPCNT**, a bank so deep in his mainframe, that even he didn't know how he came upon it.

…_BEEP…_

**[ACTIVATING: OPERATION CONTACT...JUNE 13, 3011...INITIATING** **SEQUENCE...]**

_...BEEP... _

_"-nder, we learned a lot today, but I think you can learn more about yourself if you are willing. All you have to do is observe those around you when you can, and find a define their states. When you complete this, then your work is done..."_

_"What's the catch? You gonna try and take control of them too?"_

_"No, this is not for us, when you're done, then you can use what you've learned in any way you deem fit."_

_...BEEP..._

The folder triggered a series of events that thrust him into a memory that seemed oddly familiar, but wasn't immediately registering to him. His memory bank dated the recollection as **June 2, 3019**, the location, his apartment. Bender was a passenger on this ride through time as the memory played back like a replay, and as his 3019 version of himself found himself in a familiar situation, downing a six pack of booze in the kitchen, followed by belching a sizable amount of flames back up. His 3019 self turned around, hearing an overly jubilant Fry enter the apartment, still with a full head of hair and a lack of wrinkles.

"What's going on? Did you win the lottery?" 3019 Bender said. "Please say you won the lottery!"

"Even better," Fry replied. "She said yes!"

"Who said what now?"

"Leela said yes to marrying me!"

"Neat!" He replied, grabbing a camera from his cavity and snapping a shot of Fry, who was left with a bewildered look on his face. "…What? Isn't that what you do for things like that?"

Bender watched as the 3019 version of himself put the camera down, walked back over to the fridge and grabbed another six pack. He also noticed through the entire conversation up until the picture, he had never looked at Fry as he spoke words of great joy. But looking back at the memory, he could see the most radiant smile across his face, it was amazing to see how powerful this moment was to his friend. However, the happiness soon faded as 3017 Bender's hollow response caught him off guard, and was replaced with frustration.

"I know you're better than this, Bender." He whispered.

_"I tried to help you..."_

Fry walked out of the room, leaving 3019 Bender to his own physical and metaphorical devices.

…_BEEP…_

**[Apathy - (noun) - The composition of all mechanical beings.]**

_...BEEP..._

Bender was thrust forward into another memory, this one dated **January 8, 3021. **Bender watched as his 3021 version of himself, donning a suit and tie, looked over Fry, who was also in a tuxedo.

"You look great, buddy!" 3021 Bender said, giving him a thumbs up. "I mean, as great as you can get to me, which isn't much, but it'll do."

"Thanks, Bender. You know, you being my best man means a lot to me."

"Yeah…" Bender noticed that the two of them were glaring at one another, as if they were anticipating the other to say something. "What?"

"No 'I'm the best' thing?"

"Nope, today's your day, but don't expect any of that crap when this is said and done!"

"That's all the time I'll need." Fry replied with an enormous grin.

…_BEEP…_

**[Happiness - (noun) - The ultimate goal of all living beings, intense pleasant feelings.]**

_...BEEP..._

Once again, Bender found himself being dropped into another memory, this one dated **March 15, 3056**. Aside from a small wooden desk with a steel container on it and his past self sitting on a metal stool, the room was empty. It reminded him of a Create-Your-Own Pretentious Art-Film he was dragged to around the time of this memory.

"_The desk is supposed to represent __**[Death].**__"_

The robot watched as his copy opened the container and took out a rolled up slip of paper and began to read it, but almost immediately put it down. After a moment, his 3036 self raised his left arm and swiped it across the container with his backhand, sending it flying off the table and across the room, registering a loud clang as it bounced off the wall and hit the floor. 3036 Bender stared back down at the paper, focusing on the very bottom of the page. As Bender's vision faded into the next memory, he was able to see the last part of the paper:

_See you on the other side,_

_Hermes Conrad (Inspector #5)_

…_BEEP…_

**[Anger - (noun) - The inability to properly express a more appropriate emotion.]**

_...BEEP..._

**July 29, 3093 **was the date of the next memory. Bender had been dropped into Central Park, watching his more recent self hiding in a bush near a park bench, watching Fry and Leela sitting on it hand in hand, throwing bread crumbs to the owls in front of them, watching as they excitedly rushed toward the food and huffed it down before flying off towards the slowly setting sun. His copy saw that the two were whispering something, but couldn't pick it up. He adjusted his sensors to pick up their conversation.

"Happy Birthday." Fry whispered.

"Another one of these, eh?"

"Yeah, it's like one of those cheesy chick flicks where the girl says 'let's grow old together'. Only difference is that we actually did it."

"Oh, Fry. We're past old, we're ancient."

"Then let's grow ancient together..."

Leela let out a weak giggle as Bender's not-so-current self did the same in a mocking manner as he casually grabbed a handful of eggs lying in a nest next to him and tossed them into his chest cavity.

"You know, I almost forgot to give you your gift."

"Is it another one of those nude greeting cards? You know those lose their novelty, among other things when you get older..."

"Not quite, but it involves me saying similar things."

"Really?"

Fry leaned in and pecked a kiss on her cheek. "I love you..."

For a split second, Bender was overcome by a sensation stronger than any of the others he had experienced before. He didn't even try to comprehend it, he just rode it through until he found himself back in his apartment. His internal clock confirmed that he was no longer in a memory, but a familiar voice suddenly spoke to him, saying familiar words, of an all too familiar memory.

_Alright, Bender. I have one final question to ask you...What does the word "Love" mean to you?_

_...BEEP..._

Bender froze for a moment, his mainframe searching for his answer.

**[DEFINITION NOT FOUND]**

The robot looked down in **[Shame - (noun)], **still unable to define the most important feeling of all. Bender looked back down at his lifeless friend, for the first time, the robot knew what it was like to feel. Perhaps he knew how all along, but it never registered with him until that very moment.

**[Death - (noun) - The end of being alive. The result of living.]**

_...The result of living..._

Once one feeling came, the floodgates opened and a dozen more came to take its place. Even with the ability, he wasn't sure what to feel. All he knew was that his first and only remaining friend had died.

_"...but if you don't know by now, you'll end up finding it out when it's too late._

…_BEEP…_

Bender froze again, suddenly a series of zeroes and ones began to cloud his vision, as they began to unscramble, he realized they were spelling out his definition.

**[Love - (noun) The composition of every living being, the feeling of all the shapes and colors of the universe unified into one; infinity. A word used to entice one to engage in sexual intercourse.]**

**[SENSORY OVERLOAD]**

"I'm sorry, buddy..." He said, placing a hand on Fry's chest. "I know now..."

**[WARNING: OVERHEATING - ACCESSING EMERGENCY COOLDOWN PROCEDURE...]**

The robot dropped to the floor in pain as his innards grew hotter and hotter.

"Dammit, I knew I-ugh…Shouldn't have sold that...on the black market…"

**[Regret - (noun) - ****The inability to change the past.]**

**[PROCEDURE CORRUPTED - ZIPPING AND ISOLATING PERSONALITY BACKUP...]**

Bender's vision was fading again, but this time, the zeroes and ones were being replaced with blackness.

"I'm...dying..."

**[FATAL ERROR - BACKUP NOT FOUND - ALL SAVED AND UNSAVED CHANGES WILL BE LOST]**

With a quick jolt, Bender was rendered completely paralyzed. He laid face down, staring into the rug as the last of his vision faded away. The pain was gone, but he knew that inside, his circuitry was being boiled and fried away. However, amidst all of it, Bender felt no **[Fear]**, no **[Sadness]**, no **[Anger]**.

_I lived..._

**[LOV-]**

Time ran out...


End file.
